1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to a vertical lift vehicle. More particularly, this invention pertains to a vehicle with trans-flow fans that provide directed thrust to lift and propel a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles offer advantages of traditional aircraft and vehicles, which require long runways to develop the speed and lift required for flight. Traditional aircraft depend upon airfoils and forward speed in order to fly. The aircraft's forward speed causes airflow around the airfoils and that air flow provides the vertical lift that allows the vehicle to rise.
Various VTOL vehicles are known. Some such vehicles have propellers that move from a vertical orientation for take-off and landing to a horizontal orientation for forward travel. Another variation is a helicopter, which has a fixed vertical propeller. The propeller, or rotor, of a helicopter is oriented vertically and includes airfoil blades. As the rotor rotates, the blades experience vertical lift, which allows the helicopter to rise vertically.
Various types of vertical lift vehicles are known in the art, including the above-mentioned helicopter. One such vehicle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,883,748, issued to Yoeli on Apr. 26, 2005, and titled “Vehicles particularly useful as VTOL vehicles.” The Yoeli patent discloses a vehicle with at least a pair of vertically oriented propellers that provide vertical lift. The Yoeli vehicle has at least one propeller on each side of the vehicle's transverse axis.
It would be advantageous to provide a VTOL platform with no exposed rotor blades, to provide safe pilot ejection capabilities from a VTOL platform, to provide a faster land based capability from a VTOL platform, to provide a faster flight speed capability from a VTOL platform, to provide an easier to operate VTOL platform, and to provide emergency response for confined rescues. Further, it would be advantageous to provide a vehicle that produces less noise than conventional craft.